Tag: overcome

how to help restaurants overcome the crisis – Italian Cuisine

I pay today, I eat tomorrow: the formulas with which we can support restaurants and trattorias in this moment of great difficulty, including vouchers, gift vouchers, dining bonds and the like

It hurts to see our lowered gate valve from afar restaurant of the heart. The unlit signs hurt, as well as the menus of the day that disappeared suddenly, replaced by signs that warn of the temporary obligation to close due to a medical emergency. Yet in our hearts we know: this terrible moment will end, and those tables that today take dust behind the darkened windows will return to host our dinners, our toasts, our "will you let me taste it, please?". Soon, very soon, or so we all hope. According to a recent survey carried out by Nomisma for the Lockdown Observatory, on the other hand, among the very first things that Italians intend to do as soon as the Covid-19 alarm returns, there is precisely the return to eat outside the home. A fact that undoubtedly encourages the restaurateurs of our country, who in recent months have been able to rely substantially only on two forms of income: on the one hand, for some, the conversion of their business into a key food delivery, which made it possible to keep ovens and stoves on to prepare dishes for home delivery; on the other, the presale of vouchers for future dinners, already renamed – winking at the increasingly discussed Eurobonds – such as Ristobond, Restaurant Bond & Co.

Diningbond.com – Milanese restaurants participating in the initiative.

I buy today, I have dinner tomorrow

The idea of the voucher for a future dinner is not something particularly upsetting. And anyone who has chosen this option as a gift for birthdays, anniversaries, graduations and the like knows it well. At the time of the global lockdown, however, there were those who saw in this possibility an excellent idea to somehow finance their favorite restaurants in their darkest hour: so, for example, Helen Patrikis, Steven Hall and Alan Aurmont they developed the campaign Dining Bond, left in the United States and also landed here in Italy; through the initiative portal it is possible to discover all the places that have decided to join, and that make available to their customers special vouchers at discounted prices.

A project somewhat similar to that also proposed by TripAdvisor, which in addition to helping the locals convert as easily as possible to food delivery, is also allowing restaurateurs to add to the profile of their restaurant the"gift certificates" option, through which customers can purchase a lunch or dinner in advance. Or to that of Dinnerbond.it, a platform for the purchase of vouchers inaugurated in recent days by Massimo Giannuzzi, Micaela Marcialis, Maurizio Rosazza Prin and Paolo Colapietro who, with the cry of "Love now, enjoy later", involved a team of famous chefs which also includes Cristina Bowerman, Lorenzo Cogo, Filippo La Mantia, Luigi Taglienti and Cristiano Tomei.

The ravioli egg of San Domenico di Imola.

Support haute cuisine

To trust in customers' trust and, consequently, in the success of vouchers purchased in advance, are above all the signs dedicated to haute cuisine, which have been less able to continue working in these months by playing the home delivery card. So many star chefs have inaugurated real funding campaigns via gift vouchers: Andrea Berton, for example, has launched the Restaurant Bonds for its restaurant in Milan, in the Porta Nuova area, which allow you to buy a special with 150 euros tasting menu for two people, accompanied by a glass of aperitif. "I thought that with the sale of these vouchers we could reduce the economic impact caused by the necessary prevention measures adopted", explains the chef. "Buying a voucher is not just a matter of investment, but a way to send a message of confidence that this crisis will end and the restaurant sector will recover."

A thought shared also by San Domenico di Imola, two Michelin stars, which thanks to this formula has already sold over 50 dinners for two people. "We did it to stay in touch with our customers and let them know that we are there, and that we are expecting them as soon as possible", underlines the chef Massimiliano Mascia. "Mand also to send a positive and hopeful signal, as if to say that everything will pass sooner or later, and we will meet again to toast together . Among the chefs who have decided to bet on culinary bonds, we also find Massimo Bottura, which however soon had to sanction the stop to bookings: all the vouchers for future dinners at his Osteria Francescana Modena sold out in less than 24 hours.

Restaurants, of course, but also hotels

Then there are all those restaurants somehow embedded within hotels, resorts and so on that they face not only the difficulties due to the temporary closure of the premises, but also those related to a tourist season which from now on promises to be problematic, to say the least. Also in this case, the purchase of vouchers and gift vouchers on trust can constitute an injection of confidence and liquidity for hoteliers and restaurateurs. The excellent proposals, on the other hand, are certainly not lacking, especially when exploring the field of experience packages, ranging from total relaxation to good, delicious food.

La Madernassa di Guarene in the province of Cuneo, for example, offers the romantic formula "Two hearts and a resort": an 8-course menu, with wine pairing, prepared by the chef Michelangelo Mammoliti, fresh from its second Michelin star, combined with a stay for one night in a suite with breakfast included. In this case the gift voucher (Weekend Bond? Hotel & Restaurant Bond? In short, call it as you prefer) could probably support at the same time tourism is Restaurants: two sectors that have always been the undisputed flagships of our country, but which this damned virus risks compromising in a truly brutal way.

the 10 commandments to overcome anxiety from Csaba – Italian Cuisine

Here is a valuable collection of rules not to get lost among tea spoons and cauliflower centerpieces. Proof of "Courtesies for guests"

At the fourteenth consecutive episode of Courtesies for guests, daughter of the semi-quarantine voluntary of these days, I was assailed by two completely mixed feelings: on the one hand the desire to organize a few dinners with friends as soon as possible – safety permitting, of course – to launch myself in the preparation of some thematic menu from the hermetic interpretation; on the other, the tremendous anxiety of having to submit to judgment of possible guests. Yes, because the Real Time program – which as we all know by now challenges two couples of hosts on the treacherous terrain of a dinner to be organized – has the strange power to enter your head like the brutal torture of the Chinese drop. Moral: while shortly after I took out my American placemat from the cutlery drawer and set it with a miserable fork (from spaghetti? From smooth pens? From vialone nano rice? Oh God, I don't know!) Put on the wrong side of the plate, I felt on me all the imaginary disappointment of the look of Csaba from Zorza. Because yes, in the depths of my soul I can feel that she, the graceful guardian of good taste and good manners, would really like to transform me into a skilled host capable of going beyond the pizzas ordered at home, served directly in the cardboard to avoid a passage dishes in the dishwasher. To try, therefore, to pay homage to his civilization efforts, I thought of drawing up a list of rules that I (more or less) learned thanks to this cathodic full immersion, very precious to organize a 10 and praise dinner and win once and for all the performance anxiety. Or anxiety from Csaba, what can we say.

The tea service VS the dessert service

I confess my ignorance. Before running into the marathons of Courtesy for the hostsi these days, I happily ignored the difference between the different types of tsp. Or rather, I stopped at the big / small / very small distinction, thinking it was more often than not a simple design choice. Ditto for the forks, which I had never observed carefully enough to notice the differences in sides and edges (not teeth, edges, flaps!). Moral: pay attention to what we bring to the table, because a micro-teaspoon will certainly not be good for eating ice cream and tiramisu, as well as the fish fork – albeit small – can never be accompanied with a tart. Study, people, study.

A firm no to folds

Few things like them wrinkled tablecloths they manage to curl Csaba's ever-elegant lips into an expression of bitter disappointment. Why not, it is not enough to pull the thousand thousand lire kit of the great-great-grandmother out of the drawer to make a good impression: the misplaced folds denote approximation, both on the tablecloth and on the napkin. And the approximation, you know, is anything but chic.

The world under the tablecloth

Okay, we found the most beautiful tablecloth in the realm, and we stretched it millimeter by millimeter with a dedication and skill that not even the Laos wicker craftsmen. But – alas! – still not enough. Because under the tablecloth, especially if with lace decorations, at least one is needed under tablecloth, fixed in a model. In short, we dress our onion table, as the mid seasons demand.

Question of lama

The blade of the knife must face towards the plate. The blade of the knife must face towards the plate. The blade of the knife must face towards the plate. Anyone have questions about it? No thanks.

The dilemma of the napkin

In reality it is not a real dilemma. The napkin, which – let's repeat it – must always and in any case be ironed and folded to the point, should be placed on the left. Do we want to be splendid with a napkin holder? Ok, let's try. Do we want to try to rewrite the rules and put everything in the soup plate with the accompanying pine cone and ring napkin holder carved by hand in marble? Bah! But it can be tolerated. Do we want to surprise guests by recreating with the fabric a collection of wonderful origami that range from the Little Red Riding Hood wolf to the Burmese rock python? No, here, maybe let's avoid that.

It's easy to say "white"

White dishes, tablecloths and napkins are a classic choice, it is true, and sometimes a little predictable; but also safe enough not to avoid sensational slips. Provided that shades of white choices do not punch each other. Yes, because combining an optical white – cold and bright – with a more amber warm white could ruin the success of the table. We all remember what was said of the approximation, right?

The importance of glasses

The glasses, besides having to be filled at the right point – neither too much nor too little – must appear substantially consistent with the rest of the table. And yes, in the end, simplicity once again triumphs: the cases in which a glass made of 200 prisms of wood-fired crystals and assembled with human heat can be pleasant are counted on the fingertips. There is no need to reiterate how important it is to use super-clean glasses, without traces of limescale spots. But even without strange smells, which are of «eighteenth century cupboard powder or «lemon plantation transformed into detergent.

No land at the table

No, a centerpiece it cannot reasonably weigh 127 kilos. Nor does it contain poplars, cypresses and two rose bushes inside, just to clarify. But above all he must never in any way put the show in plain sight land: on the other hand, no guest would ever want to find traces of brown powder on the tablecloth, next to their glass; let alone undergo a dinner of wet musk.

Vegetables? It depends

A centerpiece prepared with various vegetables and any assembled together can be an original idea, and therefore a winning one. But the rules to follow, in this case, are at least two: 1) the vegetables in question must be very fresh, beautiful and do not give off particular odors; 2) the dimensions of the various components must never be exaggerated. In short, to understand each other, some peppers here and there could also be there. A cauliflower or an eggplant, however, no.

Say it with a flower

The one of flowers is probably the most refined of languages that was ever conceived. So yes, it is essential to learn how to use it in the most correct way, even when it comes to choosing some cut flowers to decorate your table. On the other hand, we all know that the yellow rose is a symbol of jealousy, the white one of purity and the red one of passion. But perhaps it escapes us that gerberas and chrysanthemums, even if they are wonderful and colorful, shout "funeral" and "cemetery". Unsuitable, Csaba would comment. And in this case too, he would be terribly right.

"Courtesies for guests", Real Time; Diego Thomas, Csaba dalla Zorza, Roberto Valbuzzi

How to overcome the time change – Italian Cuisine

The change of the time often causes effects that are also very unpleasant and impacting on daily life. Find out how to keep these symptoms under control with our tips, ranging from the most suitable foods to eat to small tricks of everyday life

To announce that autumn and winter are now the reality, it is not the arrival of the panettone in the supermarkets, nor the change of the wardrobes nor the temperatures that are slowly lowered, but thewinter time: that tragic procedure for which at some point (this year is the night between 26 and 27 October) moves thewatch back an hour.
It is true that you earn a good 60 minutes of extra sleep, but at the same time also what is defined as thejet lag effect, made of insomnia, lack of appetite, exhaustion, pessimism, guilt, mood swings, headache, effort in concentrating, alteration of the sleep-wake rhythm. Fortunately, the remedies are: here is how to overcome the time change.

We cannot enter here

Anything mobile phones, PCs, tablets, TVs, video games and similar in the bedroom: the blue light they emit, the temptation to stay awake to finish watching a series, yet another notification have important sleep effects. The change of the hour affects the sleep-wake rhythm, often giving you sleepless nights: it is better to avoid anything that can further influence the rest.

In search of the sun

Exposure to sunlight, instead, it is essential to improve the mood. The sun, in fact, induces the release of the so-called good mood hormone, serotonin, and reduces the production of melatonin, the "culprit" hormone to make us tired and sleepy in the cold season.
So take advantage of the hottest hours to maybe take a walk at lunch break or picking up chestnuts on Sunday or doing outdoor activities on beautiful autumn days. THE'physical activity, Moreover, stimulates endorphins, which improve mood and sleep. But be careful not to play sports too late, because it could have adverse effects, exciting you and not making you sleep.

How to overcome the time change with the right diet

Time change often leaves a widespread sense of fatigue, that induces to drink more coffee. In reality, exaggerating with the espresso worsens the situation: it does not give us new energy, but it affects the ability to sleep and a sleepless night, even more tired.
The ancient rule of making a light evening meal it is even more relevant in these days at the turn of the hour, as it would be appropriate do not exceed with alcohol, canned foods and fatty, seasoned, spicy or heavy foods: they are all factors that strain digestion and / or affect sleep. Better to prefer fruits and vegetables, dried fruit rich in essential fatty acids, complex carbohydrates (like pasta, rice or other cereals and bread), yogurt and fresh cheeses, eggs simply cooked.
The foods that help are the relaxing herbal teas before going to sleep or the classic glass of hot milk with honey. Green light also for all foods rich in tryptophan, the precursor of serotonin, such as lettuce, radicchio, garlic, turnips, squash, cabbage.

W the routine

To overcome the time change, the ideal is train immediately for new rhythms, keeping the timetables always. Go to bed at the time you usually go to bed and don't change the alarm time. Also for meals, continue to put yourself at the table at the usual time.